Olga Tokarczuk Explores the Male Literary Canon

The polish writer was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2018

"When I first began thinking about becoming a writer, about creating stories, I imagined myself as a man", Olga Tokarczuk told an audience of 1,600 people at Praça dos Leões. The Polish writer, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2018, explained that she felt compelled to set aside her femininity in order to fit into a Western literary canon dominated by men's stories and worlds.

In a session moderated by Marta Bernardes, with readings by Ana Celeste Ferreira, Tokarczuk highlighted the narrative of her novel Empusium, describing it as, in some ways, "an act of revenge against classical literature".

During the literary session, Olga Tokarczuk also spoke about her childhood memories and her writing process. She recalled the important role played by her father, a librarian, in nurturing her lifelong love of reading.